A South Florida woman is facing new child abuse charges after investigators say she ordered the victim’s older cousin to beat him with a belt.
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Sarahi Gonzalez, 22, and her boyfriend, 35-year-old Maurice Dukes, are accused of severely beating Dukes’ 5-year-old son. They were charged with aggravated child abuse causing great bodily harm.
Now, Gonzalez is going before a judge once again for new charges related to this same child abuse case.
According to a police report, Gonzalez ordered the child’s 12-year-old cousin to beat the boy with a belt after the 5-year-old urinated on the floor.
Gonzalez now faces an additional child abuse charge, plus contributing to the delinquency of a child.
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In case documents, investigators said both Dukes and Gonzalez admitted to beating Dukes’ son with a belt, and that Gonzalez also told them she hit the boy with a slipper.
The police report noted Gonzalez and Dukes were also aware that the boy’s older cousin struck him in the face, but they did not seek medical attention for the child.
On Tuesday, a doctor alerted police after the boy showed up at the hospital with injuries including looped markings, abrasions, and both eyes swollen and bruised.
Investigators say Gonzalez lives with Dukes, his son and the boy’s cousin. A judge ordered the couple to stay away from Dukes’ son.
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